I have a C-8 hub in an A/V closet about 25 feet from my front door. Just inside my front door I have a Zooz ZEN72 800LR dimmer (Porch Light Switch). About 35 feet outside my front door, I have a Zooz ZSE41 800LR Open/Close sensor on my mailbox. I've tried including the ZSE41 in LR mode and I've included it in non-LR mode near the hub. In both cases when mounted on the mailbox it worked about 90% of the time. (I always do an exclude and then a factory reset before trying something new.) I wanted to ensure the sensor is reaching the hub through the ZEN72 and attempted that by including the sensor while outside, but as you can see from the "device graph"/mesh topology map, the mailbox sensor is talking directly to the hub without going through the porch light switch. All the devices shown that are going through the repeater are Bali motorized shades configured as generic Z-Wave devices.
Why might my sensor not be going through the repeater? Is there a way to force it to do so?
As far I know from 10 years of playing with this stuff is that the ZW repeaters are autonomous and there is no way to make anything use them.
I have installed them over the years, as with ZB repeaters, and for the most part nothing routes through them. I was always trying to help ZW locks get home.
I just put on back in the mesh to see if it will grab some of my shed ZW devices and it has actually picked up a few outliers, but, I have no control over what it does.
This is probably due to the C8Pro, new ZW firmware as it's been a while since I tried one.
Including a device in LR mode, it will never use a repeater. Zwave LR is a star topology vs the non LR mesh topology. If your Zen 72 is also in LR mode, that will prevent it from being used as a repeater also.
I have only two battery powered Zwave devices. They are both Fibaro Multi-sensors. Back Door Sensor goes straight to the hub, going by many in-wall Zwave switches on the way, instead going through four walls.
The Greenhouse Illuminance Motion sensor is using several repeaters, but ignoring switches right next to it. It actually has a good route directly to the hub, and it is going through switches on the other side of the house.
Thanks Tray. dnickel is right, I do know that LR devices cannot operate in a mesh network.
When I initially had inconsistent reporting of the state of the mailbox sensor in mesh mode, I tried LR mode to see if the connection to the hub would be stronger and more reliable. It wasn't, so I excluded the device, did a factory reset and then included it again - not in LR mode. It was then I noticed that it was not following a path to the hub that was through the dimmer switch.
The mesh topology map in my original post does not show the devices on my network that are in LR mode. (I have a smart plug and water leak sensor in my attic that are in LR mode.)
I did nothing. Mine is mounted inside the metal mailbox. It's been in place for 9 months (installed at the end of a New England winter). The CR2 battery still reports 100%.
nothing ... its happily working from inside the metal mailbox about 75 feet from house.. i do have zigbee switch in a waterproof box for my govee lights outside the hosue though
Sorry for the delay getting back to this thread. Placing orders, receiving items, and testing them out take time.
I bought the 2 Visonic MCT-370 SMA sensors on eBay as suggested. They did connect to the hub from the mailbox. I could not get them to work, however after they were installed.
I ended up buying the Zooz ZAC38 range extender and installing it on my front porch in a weatherproof outlet box. After installing the range extender and rebooting the hub, the Zooz contact sensor routes through the range extender and the smart switch! So, I seem to have had total success.
Count yourself lucky when you add a range extender to your mesh and it actually extends the devices you want it to! In the past I spent a lot of time trying to get extenders to extend specific devices, most of the time my love and hopes were unrequited. Happy to hear your approach worked out for you. Maybe time to buy a few lotto tickets as well?
